You mentioned warrior cat weddings at some point... what are those like in your mind?
ty for asking! okay okay im gonna talk in general but assume mostly im referring to the lake territories!
So each clan celebrates weddings differently! The only main similarity is that more often then not, cats do date before marriage! (apprentices can date each other as well but not marry). also yes they do use terms like wedding, propose, engaged, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other etc. bc im lazy.
THUNDERCLANIn ThunderClan, every couple picks some part of nature to represent their love when they announce the engagement. More than one couple can share a symbol but each couple should have a specific reason. The clan uses this to decorate the area by adding it into things, like dens or even propping it up to hang overhead. Both parties of the wedding dress up in flowers and vines, no matter their gender, and usually are walked down by whatever parents are living but they can pick a friend or sibling if they prefer. The cat who proposed goes down the isle first. The leader is often the one who officates but the deputy is allowed to do it if the leader is unable.
WINDCLANIn WindClan, it is always expected of the proposer to give a flower. Since they’re rare on the dry moors, it represents dedication and loyalty to their significant other. The stem is then weaved into the person who was proposed to’s fur, usually behind the ear. Weddings here are big deals, and often involve a celebration party that lasts through the night. Any cat can officiate, but it’s most likely going to be a mutual friend of the two cats. WindClan culture treats love as a ‘mates for life’ situation, but it’s not a bad thing for married cats to split up nor is it disgraced unless one party did something awful to cause the split.
SHADOWCLANShadowClan weddings are a smaller deal. It’s an invite only situation and it’s often cats the parties grew up with and family they remain close to. So even though one party’s best friend is a cat they didn’t share an apprenticeship with, it’s rare that cat would be invited.The only way would be if their friend admitted they felt more like a family. Depending on who’s alive, it’s either one or both of the engaged cat’s mentors who officiate but if that’s not able to happen, the leader will do so. The wedded cats then get two days and two nights alone far off from the camp to just be together before returning to their clan duties.
RIVERCLANRiverClan’s ceremonies are very loud and full of loud celebration, similar to WindClan. The engaged parties might even try and invite their friends from the other clans to come. RiverClan cats decorate the entire camp with flowers and seagrass, and after the wedding the couple goes out and swims together to try and catch one fish together, symbolizing their bond. The medicine cat always officiates, it’s just culture.
SKYCLANSkyClan weddings are a lot more laid back, a cat proposes and the clan gathers. The leader officiates and boom, they’re wed. This isn’t to say they don’t have fun, because often cats will spend a few days hunting specifically for the after wedding celebration. Unlike the other clans evolving into their traditions, SkyClan has always kept the same ceremony style. Even when they were reborn, Skywatcher managed to pass on this tradition to Firestar who then relayed it to the new SkyClan cats.